The known ski brake in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,563 has proven itself in practice, however, it has the disadvantage that the stepping plate, which in the known construction is made of plastic, suffers too much due to the repeated bending stresses which are generated under the most varying of weather conditions. In spite of a use of suitable material same shows after a certain amount of time signs of fatigue which eventually lead to breakage of the stepping plate.
The object of the present invention here is to provide a solution to overcome the disadvantages of the present stepping plate construction without, however, doing away with the existing advantages of this stepping plate, or having to show limitations in the function.
The aforementioned object is inventively attained by providing on the stepping plate on the side thereof which faces the support part of the holding plate, at least one receiving place for an axle to which a holding or lever arm, which supports the stepping plate on the holding plate, is also hinged, and by mounting to the lower side of the stepping plate a shoulder or the like, which forms a stop for the holding or lever arm.
The inventive construction maintains the advantages of the abovementioned known ski brake unchanged and through the use of a separate axle on which both the stepping plate and also the lever arm are supported, the presently existing breakage point is overcome. This solution was not readily apparent in the present invention, because the use of a conventional hinge would have brought about a different disadvantage. Namely in such a construction it would not have been possible to prevent the holding or lever arm which is supported on the holding plate or its adjusting part which is supported in the center recess of the holding plate from becoming free from the bearing. In using such an improperly adjusted ski brake, a lateral pulling in of the braking legs for downhill skiing would not have been possible, because the tensioning force which is necessary for this operation would have been cancelled. For this reason, the use of a free axle between the stepping plate and the holding or lever arm was first out of the question. Only by a simultaneous use of the second measure namely that between the stepping plate and the holding or lever arm a structural part which serves as a stop is mounted and forms a limit for the free movement of the two structural parts which are held on the axle, was it possible to assure the advantages of an axle without reducing the safety factor for a proper functioning of the device.
Ski brakes of this type are generally mounted below the ski boot sole. Therefore, in developing the stepping plate, adjustments to differently designed ski boot soles were also considered. In the recent past, ski boots have been designed so that the soles have a planar surface thereon, however, lately ski boots are again being manufactured with recesses in the sole, which recesses lie in front of the heel area. According to a further characteristic of the invention, an adjustment to such ski boots is achieved by placing an attachment onto the stepping plate, the vertical cross section of which lies in longitudinal direction of the ski and corresponds substantially to the cross section of the recess of the associated ski boot and the corresponding areas of support and recess have preferably a common tangent which determines in clamped-in condition of the ski boot the position of the stepping plate. This measure assures a particularly favorable adjustment of the ski brake to the ski boot. Adjustment may take place both simultaneously with the mounting of the ski binding parts and also at a later time, if the ski brake is added later. Since the mounting of ski bindings -- but for the rental constructions -- occurs individually and ski boot related, it is also easy to accomplish the adjustment of the ski brake without special difficulties.
However, it may occur that a skier may want to use one time a ski boot with a continuous flat sole and one time a different ski boot, the sole of which has a recess therein, on his ski with existing ski binding parts and ski brake. In order to meet also such demands, according to a further characteristic of the invention the attachment on the stepping plate is releasably mounted for example by means of screws.
In the described construction, a corresponding relatively heavy and strong dimensioning of the diameter of the joint axle is necessary. Thus, the receiving points are to be designed also with correspondingly large bores which causes again the dimensions of the areas of the stepping plate and of bearing part of the holding or lever arm which surround the receiving points to be constructed in a reinforced manner. This situation may possibly lead to a superelevated positioning of the ski boot.
The invention has also the purpose to aid and to overcome an otherwise necessary overdimensioning of the entire swivel zone.
This purpose is attained according to a further inventive thought by the stepping plate having a bearing surface thereon which faces the holding or lever arm, in which bearing surface is supported the bearing part of the holding or lever arm with its joint, which bearing part can be pivoted about the axle.
Through this measure, the stresses of the swivel range are for the most part absorbed by the bearing surface so that the dimensions of the axle, of the receiving points and the associated areas of the stepping plate and bearing part can be reduced without creating the risk of undesired breakage.
In a further development of the thought of the invention, the receiving points can be constructed in the lateral support parts of the stepping plate and in the form of recesses into which are received the holding pins of the bearing part, which holding pins form the axle or the holding pins are arranged on the support parts and the recesses are constructed in the bearing part.
This design facilitates the elimination of the construction of a separate receiving point in the bearing part and the holding pins can be constructed of the same material as the bearing part. Also the receiving points in the bearing parts of the stepping plate can be constructed as a recess having a small depth which increases the solidity of both the stepping plate and also of the holding or lever arm.
A further thought of the invention consists in constructing the bearing so that it is 1/3 to 1/2 of a circle in cross section.
This measure assures a secure fastening without requiring for the construction of the bearing the use of superfluous material, furthermore the outwardly extending end zones of the bearing have no dangerous breakage points.